vv

"Canada has

been a tremendous

learning

writes Steve and Joni Petty, two

experience..."

of our first students

to enroll in our Urban Ministries Program in September.

Steve is a 1981 graduate of Kentucky Christian College

and Joni is a former student. They decided to enroll at
Ontario Christian Seminary in preparation for the mission
field. The Pettys plan to begin a work in France this
ye ar.

The individualized program for the

Pettys included: 5

hours of French language instruction daily for 4 days a

week;
hours of evangelism each Monday, both in class
room instruction and practical application; and another
6 hours of classes in the study of culture and world

religions. In addition they were involved in a Thursday

evening Bible study, and all but four weekends in sing
ing, preaching, mission or youth rallies.
The Pettys
were featured at the Keele Youth Rally in November.
Steve writes:

Canada has been a tremendous learning experi

Steve and Joni Petty

ence... The whole idea of being in a "foreign"

country has been the teacher. Not only must

Joni and I be ready to enter a foreign field,

but our families must also be prepared. These
past three months have been good psychological
preparation for our move to France. There is an

element of the "unknown" in foreign countries

and we naturally tend to shy away from this.
This effect is called culture shock. Joni and I
experienced culture shock in Canada in a milder
form than we will in France, but still it was
culture shock.
Canada on the surface seems to

be very much like the U.S.A. and it is, but a

longer period of time spent in Canada will bring

to the surface many major differences.

We were really pleased with the O.C.S. program,

it proved to be beneficial training for us. Our
French study at Hansa Language Institute was

also very beneficial. We got to the point where

we

could watch "Grizzly

Adams" on French T.V.

with a general understanding. Communication is

very important in evangelism, si voiis ne pensez
pas si, alors essayez lire cette phrase. (If
you don't think so, then try reading this sent
ence.) Even after we are in France we will need

more language study.

speak and read now...

We are learning mostly to

(go&'a iFrlloiu Slorkprs, 3nr.

1 7

\^,34

l(i0,
God's Fellow Workers, Inc. /<//A
Steve Petty or luiii Lui In l l il' ^Yot/^-6
Kentucky Christian College
Box

Grayson, Ky. 41143^//^^.

jrNC.
Steve and Joni Petty are making preparations to enter

France for missionary service in 1984. The Pattys are presently

traveling and presenting their support program. They have entitled
their mission "God's Fellow Workers, Inc.", emphasizing the fact that

the missionaries and the supporters of a mission are

fellow workers

for the Truth, 3rd John 1:8". Our choice of France comes from somewhat of a special
"Macedonian Call", Steve says. " I worked a summer internship with Dennis Messimer
in Belgium in 1980 and we visited the Petronelli family in France. Mr. Petronelli
said if I would come and help him, he would help me. Presently, the independent
Christian Churches have no works in France.

We plan to begin new church evangelism

working toward indigenous congregations.

Steve Petty was born Feb. 15. 1960 and grew up in the Black Oak area of Lewis County.
Kentucky. After graduation from high school, Steve enrolled at Kentucky Christian
College in Grayson, Kentucky. He graduated May 8, 1981 with an A.B. degree and was
ordained May 10, 1981 at the Black Oak Christian Church with definite plans for foreign
missionary service. Steve has participated in several facets of the ministry such as

music, a public campground chaplaincy, youth work, a missionary internhsip, and the
teaching/preaching ministry.

Joni (Rice) Petty was born March 1,1962 and is a native of Zanesville, Ohio where
she attended the North Terrace Church of Christ. She had three years of french before

graduating form Zanesville High School. While attending K.C.C., Joni and Steve
shared their interest for missions and continue to do so after their marriage in

October, 1981. Joni has participated in the Bible Bowl program, teaching, music,
secretarial services, and youth work.

The Pettys plan to enter France in June, 1984

Their support goal for a combined personal and mission budget

is $1500. to $2000. per month.^l^^Bfeyof^'the goal is presently committed and ^ they

hope that the full amount will be raised by

Your prayers and help toward this goal

1 iiLimt)'

would be appreciated. Funds may be sent to and information obtained from. God's

Fellow Workers, Inc., sfetoP^SSf'^or Steve Petty, Kentucky Christian College, Box

-ase, Grayson, Ky. 41143-1199, phone: Tom Burbrink (606) 474-6613^ Or" r>/-5
crville PtJ-- Co\vw\

, 0^'

The- IcH' s sp>6nt

"Jiju-n

f py nifsst'^^^ iS-f;(/Jc^ U///P)

dhns/i^i^ Scmln-^ifcj ant/

prcse-n^/y re
^i\(d ^^ey- Or
fOre^^c^yti;

fkur S^yppoi^

r ,pvr.s^Kst'siL^tr<^

^z^i/a^c i-3rLlc^ t^o

a^or^ p" pr- ^^ppD9'-6.

j- t'"

.-?#-

- tl"

cLvvctn^^s

. f-;^-

?4f
xm

11$^

All Aboard or should it be All Abroad! Yes, this Is our Bon Voyage letter! Our
next letter will be prepared while we are in France. The departure date is set
for May 30th. from Columbus, OH. with People's Airlines. Soon all of the aggra
vation of traveling, living out of suitcases, not knowing if this shirt or that
pair of shoes is in the attic of my parents house, in our U-Haul trailor, or in
one of the boxes in the bedroom, awaiting a response from many of the unanswered
support letters, scheduling speaking engagements, and all of the other trials
found in the life of a missionary recruit raising support will all be over. Of
course, there will still be the adjustment to the French culture and moving to a
place where we can finally put down some roots, but this 1s all a part of reach
ing the goal of two years preparation. We hope that through the update letters
you have been able to share just some of these feelings with us.
I feel sure that you can imagine how hard it will be to say good-bye to families
and friends and board the plane for France, but the blow for us will be soften
ed somewhat since Bruce & Janet Duffy will be flying over with us. The Duffys
-will -be -irtterni-ng with the Messimers -in-Belgium and-we will fly into LondoF^
from there the Duffys will go on to Belgium and we will go to France. The four
of us will be able to spend a considerable amount of time together doing some
survey work in southern France where we plan to begin full-time work. Bruce and
Janet will be returning to the States in August. Janet will be finishing K.C.C.
and they will be raising support for their return to Europe 1f all goes well
this sufimer with their internship. Our first furlough is scheduled for the 3
summer months of 1986 and we hope the Duffys will be able to return to France
with us to begin full-time work as fellow workers for the Truth.
Our present schedule Is packed! Every weekend Is booked except for Resurrection
Sunday which we will be spending with our families. From Feb. to May 30th, we
have or will have visited our 20 supporting churches plus a few first time stops
to possible supporting churches. Some churches will be left out this time but
we promise to catch them during the '86 furlough. We are also using some of our
time to visit families and friends that we will not have the opportunity to see
very often after May 30th.

After our arrival in London, we plan to spend a week with Fred Miller, a fellow
missionary serving in England. We will then go to Lille, France by boat and
train to the Petronellis. The Duffys will be joining us in July for a survey
trip to the south. Later, we will join the Messimers and travel to Venice, Italy
for the European Christian Service Camp(July 17-26) which Is conducted by and for
missionaries and military personnel in Europe each year. From Italy, we will
return to the Messimers in Belgium. The Duffys and we will then attend the
European Lectureship (July 31-Aug. 4) which is conducted yearly by the non-in
strumental missionaries. The Lectureship is held in Nantes, France. These
meetings will be great opportunities for us to meet the missionaries in Europe
and to gather much advice and helpful information for beginning our work in
France. After the Lectureship, the Duffys will be returning to the States and
Joni and I will begin survey and demographic studies of these southern cities;
Montelimar, Avignon, and Nimes. We hope to be permanently settled in one of
these cities by early September. Please be in much prayer about this matter
because in one of these cities we hope the Lord will establish His first con
gregation through us. These cities, as were the cities that Paul evangelized,
are located at the intersection of major highways and are listed as major
cities. If Paul started this way it must be a good place for us to start also.ATTENTION! Important news in following paragraph - Don't miss it, especially
if it concerns you as a fellow v/orker for the Truth!

ATTENTION!

ATTENTION!

ATTENTION!

ATTENTION!

Our address is changing! The present address is:

God's Fellow Workers, Inc.
Keith Groves

Box 268

Kentucky Christian College

Grayson, KY. 41143-1199.
Please take note that after MAY 1st., the above address will not be valid. All

correspondence and contributions should be mailed to the following address since

Keith & Bethany Groves, our Forwarding Agents,will begin their full-time ministry
with the Minerva Park Church of Christ in Columbus after Keith's graduation.
-1.
^ God's Fellow Workers, Inc.
NEW ADDRESS-^

i Minerva Park Church of Christ

I ^938 Westerville Road

^ Columbus, Ohio. 43229

The following is a financial summary for the Pettys' mission fund for France.
Total income for 1983:

$13567.19 (Note: one half of this amount came from

individuals so again we stress the point
never to think my little bit won't matter)

Total expenses for 1983:

$6954.93 (Expenses itemized below)

Net increase for 1983:

$6612.26

Total assets at year end: $13,503.01(You will recall that we had set a goal
' for a $10,000.00 starting fund, well
the Lord through youfes more than ful
filled that goal)

Our monthly committments stand at $1250.00 and again our goal for this was $1500$2000 per month so we are just short of the minimum figure. We still have a few
more churches to visit to present our program for support so we are confident that
He will provide. From one fellow worker to another,"THANKS!" for your part!

In a small booklet published by Christian Missionary Fellowship, Christopher Carts,

age 7, listed the steps to becoming a missionary and I would like to share these
with you. 1. Think, do I want to be a missionary? 2.If so, where at? 3.After this
go to a counselor. 4.Memorize scripture. 5. Be sure you know the language. 6.De

cide what group you want to work with. 7.Be married. 8.Let the people study you.
9.Be sure they understand God's word. 10. Baptize. Christopher is the son of
David & Sylvia Corts, East 38th Street Christian Church, Indianapolis. At age 7
I think we could learn much from Christopher. The term "missionary" comes form
the Latin word for "apostle". Usually when we hear the term apostle, we tend to
think of the "twelve" and Paul and the magnificient, miraculous works recorded for
us in the New Testament. But basically the term means,"one who is sent out to
preach the Gospel." France is what church growth scholars call a resistive fieldthat means as a whole the country will not readily accept the Gospel. One of the
greatest reasons for this fact is Catholicism. Catholicism is a big part of
French history, in fact the seat of the papacy was once moved from Rome to Avig
non, France in the late 1300's. As "missionaries/apostles", Joni and I may not
be able to perform the great miracles that the Apostles did, but we will preach
the Gospel and we also recall the words of Christ In John 14:12, "I tell you the
Truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do
even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." Is there a
greater work than preaching the Gospel, the power of God unto Salvation, which

brings those obedient to that Gospel into the New Covenant?! That is a wonderful
miracle! I hav& mentioned all this to make this point that we ask our supporters
to consider and pray about. All of the European missionaries that we have been
in contact with have warned us against discouragement. Many have served many
years with only a few converts as opposed to Africa where hundreds may be won in
only a few years. We are prayerfully aware of this matter and pray you will be
also. Pray for us and for the French people. Pray for us as we communicate the
Gospel and for them to hear and obey the Gospel. Pray that the Holy Spirit pre
pares both Joni & I and the French.

Thanks again for your support and we invite your questions and comments.
1983 EXPENSES: Telephone $249.03; Printing $213.71; Equipment $280.00; Ontario
Christian Seminary $1424.07; Hansa Language Institute $1350.00; Steve & Joni

Petty $2500.00; Miscellaneous ( postage, envelopes, travel, filing fees, paper,

etc.) $938.12.
We would like to thank Roger & Kim Jahn fo r the use of their IBM that we have
typed many of our update letters on.

Qod's d^^^ow^^Ajotkets.^nc.
u

CL

G
C.

t
e

'8
4
DEC 1 1 1984

"iVe^come to -dT^^AyiOS!"
As we stopped along the highway to take this picture back in June,
it seemed as if a new life was about to start for us. And it truly
did, a new life of a different style, language, and people. That
was five months ago and still the newness is present. I've always
wondered how a newborn.baby views the world around him and now I
think I can identify somewhat with those feelings. The initial
"culture shock" is over and we are adjusting more and more as we

live, learn, and experience the french way of life.

France is just as you would picture it to be from the movies: crazy

drivers, crowded streets, beautiful cathedrals, Gothic architecture
and rolling farmlands and vineyards. We have ccne to realize though
that the French see our homeland in much the same way- through the

eyes of the T.V. or films- the attractions are different but the
feelings are -the same. It is for this very reason that we have alot
of opportunities to share our faith because the number one question
is,"Why are you here?" People seem to be really interested in what
we are doing, but for the most part, it is still curiosity more than
a genuine interest. Hopefully, time and understanding will turn the
curiosity into a heart felt desire to know Christ themselves.

During the month of July, we traveled with the Duffys to several of

the major cities in France for meetings with the Church of Christ
non-instrumental missionaries to get a better picture of their work

and methods.

We got a wide range of opinions as we went to Paris,

Nantes, Lyon, and Dijon.

There were different approaches to evan

gelism and follow up and we hope to be able to incorporate them all

in some way. The Nante group is using an indirect approach of con
tacting and converting people through conferences or seminars which
have no religious tone. The subjects, for example, deal with lone
liness, divorce, or feeling good about yourself. In this way they
are able to introduce people to the Christian life in a practical
manner. They have had a great deal of success and seem to be the
fastest growing Church of the eight congregations in France. Others
are using Bible correspondence courses and seem to be having" good
results with this also. We plan to start with .a course here when
the material is ready. Some have taken the approach of reaching the

"already interested in religion people".

This way there is already

a knowledge and belief in Christ where> on the other hand, that bar
rier of unbelief or ignorance must be broken .down. Yet other work
ers don*t want to deal with correcting religious doctrine and want
to start with those people who have no religious background or know
ledge.

We will be glad to start with anyone that is willing and our main
outreach right now, since we are still lacking in language skills
and can not truly share our faith effectively in this way, is the
dining room table. We have no conversions to report but we are
making contacts. We also have a home Bible study started in a home
of one of the members of the Lille congregation. I meet with three

fellows my age every Monday to prepare the study and then one of
them presents it the following Friday. Our French course keeps us
busy, also. We have three hours per day five days per week. We
especially enjoy it because it gives us the opportunity to make
many contacts. We are trying to open our home to as many of the
university students as possible. Many young people we have con
tacted have been warned by their parents to watch out for those
Americans because they are with some cult or religious sect. They
do so with reason.

I mentioned earlier the number one question,

well, the number two question is "Are you Mormons?" Lille just
happens to be the regional center for the Mormon Church in north
ern France, but in some ways that is to our benefit because we thus
are able to explain the Church of Christ and who we are.

Notre voiture est une Peugeot 305 (en haut)

Our car is a Peugeot 305 (above)
Joni, Faisant signe de ta main du appartement
Joni, waving from the apartment (right)
I*d like to share some of the funny things
that happen when one is learning and using
another language. When we. first moved into

our apartment we didn't have any bedding so

Joni asked the Petronellis if we could bor-

row their sleeping bags. It doesn't sound

too funny that way but let me explain. In French sleeping bag is
translated "sac de couchage" but Joni asked for a "sac de cochon"
which does have a similar pronunciation but actually means a sack

of pigs.

Another time we had several people over and the topic of

discussion was "pets". I said I would like to have some fish. Not
too funny again but the verb for to fish is "pecher" so I logically
concluded that it would work the same as english, we say I'm fish

ing and the thing we catch is fish -(fish-fishing)(peche-pecher)

makes sense, right? Actually the noun for fish is "poisson" so I
said I would like to have some "peaches" for pets. Both incidents

brought the whole crowd to laughter.

Another instance, not quite

so funny*/ occured with an older man who we are witnessing to. He

and his wife are helping us with the language from time to time.
We were working on some common expressions and slang words that one
does not learn at school and he began to teach us some rather foul

words. ^ We tried to explain to him that it might be necessary to

recognize and understand those words but that* we would not include
them in our vocabulary. He got rather offended and said that it

is necessary and acceptable in France for all people to use them.

He told us about a friend of his who is a priest and he said that
he uses these words when they are speaking together. I guess the
priest has never read Col. 3:8.

General DeGaulle once said/ "How do you govern a country that pro
duces 400 different cheeses?" This respect for individuality has
its roots in french philosophy, a subject which has replaced reli
gious education in French schools and, being largely atheistic, has
moulded the religious attitudes of the French nation.

Jean-Paul

Sartre could declare, "Life is meaningless; God is dead; There is

no moral law;"

But what of Catholicism?

Isn't France a catholic

nation?

It would be more true to say that France was a catholic

nation.

Not only has atheism

been a strong force in France^

in recent years there has been a revival of the occult.

It is est

imated that in France today there are more voyants, fortune-tellers,

and spiritual healers than registered doctors.

This information really paints a BLACK picture of France but it is

taken from research done by major evangelicals in France. I'm sure
the conditions mentioned above are true, but we have found the Fr

ench people for the most part just living from day to day not rea
lizing their need for Christ- like many people in the States that
you may know. The French are a people tired of "tired religion".
Catholicism has long taught that God is reached through the Church.
The problem is that the Church has made God unreachable, in fact
the clergy has become almost unreachable. This impersonal ministry
is one of the main reasons many Catholics have stopped practicing
their faith.

They are now trying to break down this barrier and as

is the case with many organizations of renewal it may be too late.

Catholicism in France just has not given people the Hope that Christ
promises and therefore they are angry with religion and God. Peo
ple are flabber-gasted when we share with them that they don't need
a preacher, priest, or man to reach God. He is already reaching

down His hand for us personally to take hold of. They can not be
lieve- that we study the Bible without a priest's guidance. We pray
that they will begin to study with us and find that Hope that is
found in Jesus Christ and not a religion, men, work, or anything
the world can offer.

Dale and Barb Mallory, missionaries in Berlin, West Germany, have

been doing some research concerning missionary work in Europe. I

found their findings very interesting and think that they would
certainly help Churches to understand and better perceive the needs
of their European missionaries. The following was taken from the
Mallory's newsletter (June 1984).
Barbara and Dale have prepared a questionnaire which has been sent

to 90 people - past and present missionaries in Europe. Not all of

the questionnaires are in yet and we still have some studying to do,
but already a picture is forming. From the information that we have
at this point there seems to be four problem areas which have ham
pered

the Christian Church/ Church of Christ Missionaries.

'''a

I f

1) Cultu-JTSil! SoiTi liav not bscin abl to adapt to th cultuical dif~

frncs. Thy came to EUropt with a totally false imprssion of
what to expect. They became; fi'ustrated when people did not respond
as expected. 2) Preparation: Hany missionaries come with little or
no language training and, due to the pressure to "accomplish some
thing" do not finish their language training on the field. All

Europeans study foreign languages from early school years on and

expect missionaries to have esccellent control of the language of
their host country. (3) Lackjof Support: Possibly due to the fact

that Europe is a slow, hard faeld, many missionaries have not been

able to get sufficient financial support to do an adequate job.

Many missionaries also report that they have not had adequate

spiritual support from supporting congregations. (4) Independence:

Due to our philosophy of independent missions, each missionary does

his own thing with little communication with other missionaries.

When one missionary needs hel]?, either physical or spiritual there

is- often no one to help since every other missionary is equally

busy doing his work, cosequenitly, one becomes frustrated, burns out
to carry on the work he was doing. In
:Y
the past fifteen years, thirt missionaries have come to Germany

and returns home with no one

and returned home. Works hay been started and left to flounder
:y leaves. This lack of continuity has
and/or die when the missionat
limited the effectiveness of mission work here. The Germans find
it difficult to have any trus;t in a Church that is here today and

gone tomorrow. Thanks to Ba:pb and Dale, we await more results.

It is true that the work in Europe is hard and slow. The largest
~ental) in France numbers around 80
Church of Christ (non-instrum
and has been here over 30 years. The next numbers around 45. It is
hard but we have had over 10 non-christians in our Bible study,

some have stopped coming hut others continue to come. It may be

quite some time before our first baptism but the Lord adds to His
Church as His people continue to witness by their words and the

life they live.

Pray for Eur ope and her workers. Pray for us as

we continue to work with the Lille congregation. Pray for the Lord
to lead us as we prepare to Isettle in a city where there is no congregation, after our languag^ study.

In closing, it is always wonderful to celebrate the BIRTH of Jesus

more important to consider His DEATH

each Christmas but it is muc

each day and what our respon e to that fact should be. Just as He
didn't leave us thinking of is death alone. He arose from the

grave and this should be our response also, to live a "risen" life
in service to God.

P.S. Several people have asl^yid,"What are some of the things you
miss most from the States?"

jjell, that is rather easy to answer,

other than our families whic 1 we miss the most, here's a list of

a few of those things: browr^ Le

& cake mixes, icing, crisco, Pam,

Koolaid, Peanut butter(crunc ly), Town House crackers & regular

saltines. Honey Roasted Nuts chocolate chips, tacoes(anything
Mexican), cupcake liners, anid other various "junk foods" to
numerous to mention. These i bems just don't exist in France like
we know them from home so remember Christmas is well on its way!
God's Fellow Workers, Inc.

Steve & Joni Petty

Bat, 11, Appt. 569

F.A.s Keith & Bethany Groves

Minerva Park Church of Christ

59650 Villeneuve D'Ascq

4938 Wesrterville Road

FRANCE

Columbus, OHIO 43229.

2 Rue Breve

II im